Cushioned wheel.



E.. L. J. DAVIS. GUSHIONED WHEEL.

APPLIUATION FILED SEPT. 23, 1910.

980,61 1 Patented Jan A3,1911.

kovne Y s UNITED ,STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST lL. J. DAVIS, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

CUSHIONED WHEEL.

To all whom fit may concern: i

Be it known that '1, EBN- EST L. J. Davis. a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Alle gheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cushioned lVheels, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to cushioned wheels and has for its object to provide a wheel of such class with meansin a manner as hereinafter set forth constituting a pneumatic tire formed of a plurality of independent separable cushionin sections whereby if one of the sections should become damaged, it an-be removed and a new one substituted without necessitating the removal. of all of the cushioning sections from the wheel.

Further objects of the invention are tol provide a cushioned wheel of the pneumatic class which iscomparatively simple in its construction and arrangement, durable, efiicienty in its use, readily assembled and disassembled when occasion so requires, stronO, reducing tire cost toa minimum, and comparatively inexpensive to set up.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of" parts as hereinafter more specifically described an'd illustrated in the accompanying drawings; wherein is shown' one embodiment of thefinvention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modilicatio-ns can be resorted to which come within the scope of the claim hereunto appended.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views: Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section of a cushioned wheel in accordance with this invention. ,Fig '2 is a cross-sectional view through the wheel tire, the remainder of the wheel heilig broken away. Fig. 3 is aside elevation of one of the tire shoes. Fig. 4 is an elevation of one of the combined filling and coupling members used as a filler be- .tween a pair of sections of the tire and for further coupling the sections with the rim, and, Fig. 5 is a top plan view of one of the sections vof the rim. l

A cushioned wheel in accordance with this invention comprises a body-portion, a sectional' rim, a sectional tire, and a series of combined lfilling and coupling devices Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led September 23, 1910. Serial No.

Patented JalL, 1911.

abutting with the sections of the tire. The body-portion of the wheel comprises 'a hub 1 having projecting therethrough a series.

of spokes 2 to which is connected a felly 3, the latterbeing provided with a series ot' openingsfl and a series of openings 5.

The function of the openings'll', 5, will be hereinafter referred to.

Mounted upon the felly 3 isa rim formed of a` plurality of sections, as shown 4, and which are indicated by the reference characters 6, 7, 8 and 9.' Each of the rim sections is segmental in contour and as clearly shown in Fig. 5 consists of a body-portion 10 provided at one end with a recess 11 and at its other end with a'. tongue 12. The body-portion 10 at each side is formed with a clencher flange 13 `adapted to engage the sections of the tire in a manner as herein after referred to for securing the tire Sec-` tions in position. Each of the rim sections is furthermore provided with transverselyextending openingsy 11 at one'end thereof, said openingsbeing in alinement and adapted to register with the transversely-extending opening 15 formed in a tongue 12 of an` adjacent/section of the rim. The tongue '12 with an opening 17 which alines with one of y theopenings of the series of openings 4 and each of the rim sections isalso provided with an opening 18 which alines with one of the openings of' the series of openings 5.

The tire consists of a plurality of independent'detachable sections, as shown by way of example, four in number and which are indicated by the reference characters 19, 20. 21 and Each of the tire sections is substantially segmental in contour and is mounted against the rim section. Each of the tire sections consists of an outer shoe Q3 provided with a pair of beads Q1 which are-clamped by the {ianges '13 of the rim sections, whereby the tire sections and rim sections will be coupled together. Said shoe 23 is provided ateach end with au cud wall 25 having its outer portion extending inwardly so as to providekwhen the tire section is inflated, a beveled outer portion262' forming an abutment. The opposing end .walls of the pair of tire sections are oppodisposed with respect to each other' sitel 'so vt lat when the tire sect-ions are mounted vupon the rim, there will be formed between the opposing ends of `each pair of tire sec- -tionssubstantially `Y-shaped spaces 27 for a purpose to be presently referred to. `Arranged Within the shoe of the tire section is an inner tube 28 which is vsegment-shaped in contour and has each of its ends closed and which when inflated conforms to lthe inner contour of the. shoe 23.- Extending throug'h each of the openings of the series v of openings 5 andeach'of the alining openings 18 and opening into the inner tube 28 is an air illin -tube 26aL for each of the inner 1tubes of the tire section. The e'nd Walls of each tire section are oppositely 'disposed with vrespect tol each yother and as before stated oppositely` disposed with respect to the opposing ends ,vofthe adjacent tire sections: so

as to providethe'Y-shaped spaces 27 between eachv pair of tire sections.

Mounted in each of the spaces-27 is-a combined filling' and coupling member 29 which in vertical section is substantially 'l Y-shaped in contour and in transverse secf tion conforms in contour -to-the shape of a tire section when the latter is iniiated. Each of the members 29is hollow and when mounted in an opening 27 has its periphery flush with the periphery ofthe tire sections.'

f The inner ,end 30 of eachy of the members 29 is solid and is adapted tobe engaged by a threaded hold-fast device 31 which extends through an openingfl andthe alining opening 17 andv at .its outer end engaging .in the lsolid portion 30 andhas its inner end provided with a thumb nut 32- adapted to abut against the inner face of the felly.. 4When the nuts'32--are screwed'toward the inner face ofthe felly, the members 29 are drawn 'inwardly and Vengage thevouter portions 26 of the end Walls 25 of the tire sections, the

lsaid outer portions 26 constituting abutments"whereby the ends of the tire sectlons are maintained in posltion-upon l the rim and the Y-shaped space between each pair of tire sections is filled by a member 29,30 .thatl the tread of the tire will be "continuous Thel members 29 are also provided to allow of the convenient removal, when occasion so requires, of any one of the tire sections, if the same should become damaged, so that a new tire section can be mounted upon the rim without necessitating the removal of all of the tire sections.- The rim sections are also detachably` connected together so that Ithey can be removed with their respective tire sections and'the new tire sections convemently positioned upon the rim sections and the latter with the tire sections then replaced upon the felly and detachably con-4 pair of adjacentl tire sections.'

nected to a The rim sections are detachably connected togetherjby the hold-fast devices 16, which as shown consist of headed bolts provided' with clampingnuts, the nuts not being shown. v v

WhatIclaim is: A 'cushioned Wheelv comprising a felly a rim mounted upon the felly and formed o l a plurality of separately detachable sections, aresilient tire section coupled with each rim section, :each of said tire sections pro- 4vided with an end Wall with the outer por- .tion' thereof inturned toprovide a beveled` outer portion, the end Wallsof each tire section spaced from the end walls of the ad' acent tire section, thereby `providing a :shaped'space between each pair of tire sections, and a combinedV Y-shaped filling and coupling member mountcdin each of said spaces and detachably connectedto the MAX H. SnoLovrrz, KARL BU'rnER. 

